


Long Time, No See

by justaddfiction



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumblebee - Freeform, Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I just want them to be happy together, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 17:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6338575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justaddfiction/pseuds/justaddfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a "sshhh-click" sound, Gambol Shroud returned to its sheath.  Blake had not turned around yet, fearful of what she’d see when she did.  She wanted in equal parts to run away and to beg Yang’s forgiveness for the past year.  She took a deep breath and turned around to face her partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Time, No See

**Author's Note:**

> CONTENT WARNING: Violence; discussion of injury, loss of limb, and death; discussion of past abusive relationships (including implied sexual assault); briefly mentioned past suicidal ideation. Proceed with caution.

      “Yang Xiao Long, is it?” called an angry voice. Blake looked up immediately at the sound of her partner’s name, looking for the source. It seemed to have come from the other side of the crumbling building she stood next to. She knew it was a bad idea - but she had to know. Any news of Yang would be welcome, even if it came from one of the many people who only knew her as the infamous bully of the last Vytal Festival.

      She started to climb up the wall of the building, listening intently, careful not to be seen. It was dark, but the moon was whole and most faunus would be able to see perfectly well. There were more voices she couldn’t make out. Another voice spoke, achingly familiar, causing Blake to freeze in her tracks. It was the voice she’d heard a thousand times, in flashbacks and fantasies but not in person, since the fall of Beacon.

      “Didn’t know I had fans.”

      Blake heard the distinct mechanical whirring of Ember Celica, accented by a similar but new sound. The voices she couldn’t understand were becoming clearer, and they sounded restless. She resumed her climb, her heart racing.

      “Aren’t you the chick who kneecapped that guy in the tournament?” asked one of the previously indistinct voices, and numerous angry ones murmured in response.  Blake reached the rooftop and looked over.

      A crowd of White Fang goons, looking angry, stood in a wide arc around the spot where Blake had climbed up. One man, a faunus with a slightly more intricate mask, stood front and center. Blake couldn’t immediately see her, but she knew the person they surrounded was Yang. The ringleader addressed the crowd, answering the question.

      “Yeah, she is. She’s also on the team responsible for our losses in Mountain Glenn.” The crowd stirred even more, drawing weapons.  Blake maneuvered on the rooftop to hide behind some rubble so she could look directly down without giving her presence away.

      There was Yang, her back to the wall and to Blake. The missing portion of her right arm had been replaced by a cybernetic prosthetic that appeared to have a weapon built right into it. She held her arms in front of her at the ready.

      “I don’t want to fight you if I don’t have to. Just leave me alone,” she said. She still hadn’t moved to fight.  Blake wondered sadly what could have happened to Yang to inspire such caution.  She realized with a jolt of guilt that it may well have been the act of saving Blake’s life and losing an arm in the process.

      The ringleader called out to the crowd, “I don’t know, guys; should we leave her alone?” A chorus of booing and jeering made the answer clear.  A few people stepped forward, aiming guns and blades at Yang. A shot went out, and suddenly there was chaos.

      Blake watched in awed silence as Yang brawled with the crowd, blasting away each faunus as they approached, throwing some of her opponents at others, and taking their hits in stride.  Yang was in her element: a close-quarters melee, one against many low-skilled fighters.  Usually when Blake was there to witness such a fight, she was too busy fighting the same enemies to watch. As the fight went on, Yang began to grin, her old self shining through. A small part of Blake’s mind protested; surely no one was allowed to be that powerful _and_ attractive. Another part of her mind told that part to shut up.

      But the grin reminded Blake – _she’s happy_ , _wait_ , _emotions_ , _angry crowd, negative emotions_ _draw_ _– oh no._ She looked up from the fight and looked out across Vale. From her rooftop perch, she could see creatures of Grimm slowly approaching from multiple directions.  None of the White Fang had noticed yet, being too focused on their target. Yang was too busy defending herself, and lacked faunus night vision besides.

      Blake began to panic as she realized her two options: take action now, alerting Yang to her presence and defying Adam in front of people who would report to him, causing him to go after Yang; or take no action, leaving Yang and a crowd of people in danger of a major Grimm attack with their auras already lowered from fighting each other. Either choice would put Yang directly in danger. _But there’s no use trying to protect her from Adam if she won’t live long enough to need that protection,_ she thought. Panic still seized her chest, but she stood up on the rooftop, pulling the ribbon from her ears and drawing her weapon.

      She jumped to the ground in front of Yang, her aura absorbing the shock of the fall. The fight halted as all parties paused in surprise. Blake yelled at the crowd, “You all need to get out of this area! You’re drawing Grimm from all directions. How stupid are you, purposefully inciting anger and fear out here?”

      At this, the crowd began to scatter at the edges. A few stayed, sure of their ability to fight the approaching monsters.  Blake heard Yang’s voice behind her, shocked and confused. “…Blake?”

      She couldn't bring herself to respond. Instead, she stared down the White Fang ringleader, whose face was taking on a greedy smile.

      “So the infamous traitor shows her face after a year of eluding the White Fang,” he began. The goons who stayed behind murmured to each other, expressions of dawning recognition clear even behind their masks. _Great,_ she thought. “And all we needed was your partner! If I’d known that, I’d have found her sooner. Of course, according to all our sources, you betrayed her like you betrayed us.”

      Rage consumed Blake, and before she knew what she was doing, she’d attacked him, whacking him with the broad side of her sheath and tripping him with a leg sweep. He fell to the ground, and she stomped on his stomach, pressing her sword to his neck. The remaining goons scattered, except for two who hung back.

      “She is under my protection. Got it?” Blake snarled, fury creeping into every word. “If you threaten her again, there is no force in Remnant that will save you.”

      “Not even Adam Taurus?” he taunted.

      Terror swept over her mind, but she couldn’t stop now. “Especially not him. Tell that to your ‘sources’ when you wake up.” She kicked him in the head, hard, like she’d done to Roman Torchwick so long ago. His body went limp, unconscious.

      Blake took her foot off of him and stared down the remaining two faunus in a silent challenge.  They quickly averted their eyes, opting to drag their leader away instead of fighting back.

      With a _sshhh-click_ sound, Gambol Shroud returned to its sheath.  Blake had not turned around yet, fearful of what she’d see when she did.  She wanted in equal parts to run away and to beg Yang’s forgiveness for the past year.  She took a deep breath and turned around to face her partner.

      They stared at each other for a moment. Yang’s eyes were wide in shock and confusion. Her arms lowered slowly from defensive position as if she was unsure of whether Blake was a threat or not. Blake herself was tense, her shoulders pulled in as if to make herself smaller, one hand grabbing her other arm. Every instinct told her to look down and turn away, but she looked Yang in the eyes.  As she did so, everything else melted away. Even if those eyes were wary and upset at the sight of her, even though she had wanted to run not two seconds ago, Blake couldn’t help but stay.

      Yang spoke first. “Where the hell have you been? You run away for a year and don’t tell me anything, don’t write, don’t even acknowledge my existence and now you just show up out of nowhere and save my ass? The fuck was that about ‘under your protection,’” she gestured at the spot on the ground behind Blake where the White Fang leader had been, “am I a child you’ve been keeping safe but not deigning to explain what’s going on or that you’re even there?”

      “That’s not what I meant! I didn’t even know you were here, I heard them talking about you and then I heard your voice, and then I saw you and you saw the rest!” Blake explained, practically begging for Yang to understand.

      “Oh, so you do care! When did that happen, just now when you took pity on me? Or did you decide you’d kept me in the dark long enough?”  As she spoke, she shook with fury and her voice cracked.

      Blake tried to speak, but couldn’t find words.  She tried again, and this time the words came tumbling out faster than she could form them. “Yang, I – I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me.  But please let me tell you what happened. You deserve the truth, and I’m sorry I haven’t given it to you.”

      Yang paused, her lips pursed, thinking it over. After a moment she said, “You better have a pretty damn good explanation. Get on with it, I’m listening.” Blake breathed a small sigh of relief, but realized this wasn’t the place. The two young huntresses were standing in the open street, vulnerable to attack.  “Not here,” said Blake, “there are Grimm approaching from all directions, and these guys could get reinforcements.  Let’s find shelter.”

      “…Fine.”

      They ducked into a crumbling abandoned building, likely an old office or similar. After checking the building for Grimm and only finding a nest of young nevermores, which were quickly destroyed, the two young women sat down on the dirty carpet in a spot where there was little enough rubble.

      “How much do you know about what happened that night?” asked Blake.

      Yang recounted her story. “I met up with Weiss after the attack started. You and Ruby were missing. Weiss said she’d last seen you going after an alpha. I went looking for you, to make sure you were okay.  I got to the dining hall and there you were, with that White Fang guy standing over you. He stabbed you, so I attacked him, but he cut my arm off and I blacked out.” At the mention of her arm, she opened and closed her robotic hand, seemingly without thinking. “When I woke up, you were gone.  Pyrrha was dead.  Then Weiss was taken away, and then Ruby left with Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Uncle Qrow went after them, and I haven’t heard from any of them since. You couldn’t have, I dunno, stayed a little while before leaving, or at least left a note?”

      “Yang, I’m sorry I hurt you-“

      “I lost my arm defending you and you didn’t even stick around long enough to say goodbye!” Yang spat out her words, watching Blake wince. “I needed you, and you just disappeared, along with everyone else I’ve ever cared about! Do you know what I thought about doing, all those months alone and bedridden? I dreamed of wasting away, of going to sleep and just staying that way.”

      “Oh god. Yang, I’m-”

      “I couldn’t fight, could barely feed and clothe myself.  It was humiliating. All I wanted was for someone to stay with me. But no one did, except Dad.”

      “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” said Blake, desperately. “I left because if I _had_ stayed, Adam would have come after you to try to get to me.  He already hurt you once, and I couldn’t let him do it again.  I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if he—If you—“

      “Wait, Adam? Your awful ex-partner?” Yang interrupted, confused. “What’s he got to do with this?”

      Blake realized suddenly that Yang would have had no idea who Adam was; after all, they’d never met, and Blake had never showed her a picture. She spoke slowly. “Adam. The one I told you about in Mountain Glenn and after your fight against Mercury. He’s the one who stabbed me and cut your arm off.”

      “That was _him_?” Yang shouted, rising to her feet.

      “He said - he said he’d go after the people I love,” Blake said, starting quietly and getting louder.  “And then he went and did it! He hurt you, and after that he tried to kill you, and—”

      “Wait, wait, wait,” interrupted Yang.  “The White Fang guy with the red sword, the one who did this to me,” she waved her robotic arm around for illustration, “Is _Adam_ ? And he said _what_? And what was that about after?”

      Blake paused again. “I guess I’d better start at the beginning.” She took a deep breath.  Yang sat down again, listening intently, her anger changing targets.

      Blake recounted, “I saw him while I was fighting Grimm. I didn’t want to fight him directly, but he threatened a civilian, so I had to. He overpowered me.  He was ranting about how wanted me to suffer, how I was a traitor, a coward, and a stupid idealist.  But at the same time, he kept calling me ‘my love’ and ‘my darling,’ and he said that all he wanted was… _me_.” Blake looked down as she said the last sentence, embarrassed by its implications and knowing full well how Yang would react.

      Sure enough, Yang’s eyes flashed red and her hands balled into fists. “That creepy fucker!” Blake didn’t disagree, but even mentioning Adam’s lust for her out loud made it too real, so she continued her story.

      “Then he swore to make it his mission in life to destroy everything I love.  That was when you came in, shouting for me, and he put two and two together. He said he’d-” Blake’s voice caught in her throat, briefly - “He said he’d start with you.  He stabbed me to get your attention, and he got it.  I tried to tell you to run, but it was too late.  After he cut your arm off, you fell, unconscious.  He was going to kill you, but I got in front of you before he had the chance.  Then he tried to kill me, but I got us away.”

      Yang sat in silence, not knowing what to say, her eyes back to lilac. Everything made sense to her now, in a horrible, twisted way.  Missing pieces from the last year were fitting together to form an awful picture of Blake’s abusive ex and self-imposed martyrdom so stupidly in-character for her that Yang almost laughed. Almost.  And then there was the matter of-- “You – you risked your life. After you’d been stabbed in the gut. To save me.”

      Blake blushed. “Well, when you put it like that, I sound like a hero or some shit.  I just… I couldn’t let him kill you. I knew he’d hesitate more if he had to cut through me, and then I acted without thinking. That’s all.”

      “And - let me get this straight - you left after that because you thought it would _protect_ me?” Yang asked.

      “Exactly,” Blake said.

      Yang sighed, exasperated. “If you wanted to do that, you should have stayed and told me what was going on.  We could have faced it together.”

      “Yeah sure,” Blake said sarcastically. “Look how well the two of us did against him last time.”

      “That’s different. We could have had Ruby’s help, my dad’s help, Uncle Qrow’s help, anyone’s! Suffering alone because of a goddamned martyr complex sure as hell didn’t fix anything.”

      “Well, it worked! Adam didn’t go after you.  I don’t know if he seriously thought I didn’t care, but that wasn’t the point. It was an ultimatum. Isolate myself from everyone I care about, or they die.  And there’s nothing I could do to stop him.  So I figured, I’d suffer alone for the rest of my life if it would keep you and everyone else alive.”

      “Blake-”

      “But now?” Blake let out a bitter laugh and stood up, visibly nervous. “It doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t fucking matter because I helped you just now. The White Fang will tell him for sure, and now he’ll come after you again. And it’s my fault, but I couldn’t stop myself, and now we have to leave or he’ll kill you.” She gathered her backpack and moved to the door, holding it open.

      Yang remained on the floor, unmoving. “I’m not going anywhere.”

      “Yang, no, unless you want to lose your head the same way you lost your arm, we have to get out of here.” Blake walked back toward Yang, moved as if to grab her arm, then thought better of it.  Yang was seething, and her hair was starting to glow.

      “I refuse to be leverage in his sick game to cause you pain.  You hear me?,” she shouted, standing to match Blake’s eye level. “I have spent the last year being coddled and controlled and told what I could and couldn’t do, by doctors and therapists and my own father. But I’m done. You don’t get to do that to me. I’m not letting you make this decision on my behalf just because you’ve given up.”

      “I haven’t given up! I’ve spent every day training to fight Adam. I’m going to kill him, and damn anyone who tries to stop me,” Blake said, her expression stony and resolute.

      “Well, why don’t we just do that, then?” Yang asked quietly.

      Blake stared for a moment at Yang. “What?”

      “No, really. What do you think I’ve been doing for the last few months, sitting on my ass? I had to train like hell to get back in shape after months of being bedridden, not to mention all the physical therapy to get used to this thing.” She gestured with her artificial arm again.  “I’ve wanted to take him down since that night, and if I didn’t want him dead before, I sure as hell do now.  If the two of us work together, we can take him.  Do you really think he’ll be able to defeat two huntresses who have trained during this hellish year specifically to kill him?”

      Blake shook her head. “You don’t know what we’d be up against.”

      “Then tell me,” said Yang.

      “Well, it’s his semblance… he charges up and then unleashes a single devastating blow, the kind of blow that cuts straight through aura. It’s what he used to cut your arm off,” Blake explained.

      “Okay, so, we… _disarm_ him.” Yang said.

      “You are fucking kidding me.” Blake couldn’t think of a worse time for a goddamned pun, but of course Yang would come up with one now.

      “What? I’m serious,” said Yang. “If he can’t use his sword, the force of his semblance will be in a blunt hit, right?”

      “Well, with no blade to focus it, yeah, it will be a blast of energy,” said Blake, beginning to see Yang’s plan.

      Yang nodded. “Which I can then throw right back at him with my semblance.  He’s so obsessed with you, if you distract him, it’ll be easier for me to sneak-attack him, knocking his sword away and possibly injuring his arm.  If the sneak attack doesn’t work, then we double-team him, mostly dodging until we have an opportunity. That way I still have as much aura as possible to take any hit from his semblance.  If he uses it before we disarm him, he won’t have enough time to charge it all the way up, so it won’t be powerful enough to break through our aura.  If he uses it after we disarm him, I can use that power against him.  And he’ll have to use it at some point, or we’ll just win the old-fashioned way. Any way we do it, we win.”

      Blake thought it over for a minute and said, “That’s… not actually a terrible plan.  But since when are you capable of sneaking?”

      “Just trust me,” said Yang offhandedly, only realizing the weight of her comment as it left her mouth. They both looked away.

      There was a pause. “…Do you?” asked Yang hesitantly.

      “Of course I do,” said Blake. “You’re not the one who’s proven herself untrustworthy.” She hung her head. “I would ask you the same question, but I know the answer.”

      Yang smiled darkly. “You know, you’d think so.” Blake looked up, confused. Yang continued, “I won’t lie; my confidence in you really was shaken at first.  But I didn’t know everything that had happened, or who that guy was.  Now that you’ve told me, I think I understand.  And as much as I’ve been yelling at you, I can’t say I would have acted much differently in your place.” She took a deep breath. “I went through the last year alone, and it sucked, but you know what? You were going through this shit alone at the same time, and I wasn’t there for you either, so fuck it. We’re even.”

      “That’s not the same thing. I left you, not the other way around. You don’t have to worry about not being there for me, that’s ridiculous, that was my fault--” Blake spoke in a rush, overwhelmed by forgiveness she knew she couldn’t deserve. Her eyes stung.

      “Blake.” Yang’s voice was quiet, and Blake stopped talking to listen.  “I trust you, but please promise me – promise that you won’t leave me again.”  Yang’s eyes were red, not in the sense that they’d changed color, but in the sense that she was about to cry.

      “I won’t,” Blake breathed, her voice cracking. “I swear to god, I won’t.  I don’t know if I’m capable of it anymore.” Tears welled in her eyes.

      Yang stepped over and hugged her. Blake sank into her arms and started to cry.  “I’m so sorry. I won’t leave you,” she sobbed. “I won’t leave you, I swear I won’t leave you.” Yang began crying too, pain and relief and fear finally forcing themselves free.  Blake was back, and she wasn’t leaving, and everything wasn’t okay but it was going to be.

      After a few minutes they stopped crying, still embracing. Neither wanted to let go of the other.  Yang breathed in the scent of Blake’s hair, registering how vulnerable and yet how strong Blake’s body felt in her arms.  Blake was slowly processing the fact that this was real, she was awake, and this wasn’t a dream. They were together, and she didn’t have to leave. But there was still one thing she needed to say.

      Her pulse quickened at the thought. For so long, she’d been operating under the assumption that she’d never get a chance.  But now, not only did she have a chance, she felt guilty keeping such a big secret after their discussion of trust.  If she was going to prove that she was trustworthy, she needed to come clean, regardless of how Yang felt in return.  She knew that Yang probably didn’t reciprocate, and the thought was suffocating, but the idea of deceiving her was even worse.

      She summoned her courage and whispered in Yang’s ear, her voice shaking.  She had been dreaming of this moment for more than a year, and could not have been more terrified.  “There’s one more thing you need to know, if we’re going to be living and fighting together again. I need to clear the air.” _Too late to turn back now,_ she thought.

      “Hmm?” Yang tilted her head toward Blake in curiosity.

      “Yang,” _oh god oh god oh god,_ “I love you.”

      They still hadn’t let go of each other; she felt Yang’s sharp intake of breath. Was Yang’s heartbeat so fast before? Blake’s certainly wasn’t.

      Yang whispered back, “As in…?” Was that excitement or fear in her voice?

      “As in, I am in love with you.”

      Yang took half a step back and looked Blake in the eyes.  For a moment, Blake’s heart sank, thinking, _she’s going to tell me she’s sorry, that she doesn’t feel the same way, it’ll be awkward between us now, I’ve fucked everything up_ – meanwhile Yang’s mind was rapidly filling with a wordless, disbelieving elation. Her mouth curled into a beaming smile and she said, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

      She leaned in with her eyes closed. Their lips met, and Blake’s surprise was quickly overtaken by sheer, unbridled joy. She kissed back, burying her hands deep into Yang’s brilliant blonde curls.  Yang deepened the kiss in response to Blake’s enthusiasm, feeling fairly giddy herself.  Her prosthetic hand cupped Blake’s face, and the touch of cold metal to skin reminded Blake that this was real, that Yang loved her back.

      They pulled apart, but stayed close. Yang whispered, “I love you too,” before leaning in for another kiss.


End file.
